A wireless remote control system is known as a vehicle door opening/closing apparatus for opening/closing a vehicle door in cooperation with a mobile apparatus carried by a vehicle user. The wireless remote control system locks/unlocks a door lock and electrically opens/closes a power slide door when a user, who is present near a vehicle, operates an operating portion provided at a mobile apparatus. At this time, it is unnecessary for the user to touch the vehicle. Further, a locking system (entry system), in which a door lock of a vehicle door is automatically controlled to lock/unlock without an operation of a mobile apparatus by a user, is also known. The locking system controls the door lock of the vehicle door to lock/unlock by detecting a user, who has approached the vehicle or has gotten out of the vehicle, and by recognizing an intention of the user who wants to lock or unlock the door lock of the vehicle door on the basis of a command (operation) from the user. Here, the command of the user is, for example, a touch to a door handle. As an application of the entry system, an apparatus for unlocking a door lock and for opening a power slide door, or the like, is also suggested.
Such a remote control system and an entry system are convenient. However, in the situation of the remote control system, for example, a user, carrying goods in both hands, who has approached the vehicle, cannot operate the operating portion of the mobile apparatus. Similarly, in the situation of the entry system, there can be a situation where the user cannot give the command to unlock the door lock (and open the door) and the door lock cannot be automatically unlocked (and the door cannot be automatically opened). For overcoming the drawback of the entry system described above, a method for unlocking a door lock (and for opening a door) on the basis of approach of a user regardless of presence/absence of a command from the user is suggested. However, by this method, even when the user approaches the vehicle without an intention to unlock the door lock and to open the door, the door is automatically unlocked and opened.
JP2004-316231A (Patent document 1) suggests an entry system (automatic door opener system) for solving the drawback described above. In this entry system, a door is opened in a situation where electric waves emitted from a mobile apparatus (entry key) are received by a vehicle and a gentle hit or tap is given to a predetermined portion of the vehicle. Here, the predetermined portion is, for example, a side sill provided at a lower end of a slide door of the vehicle. The user can give the gentle hit or tap to the side sill, for example, by using a controlled kick with his/her foot.
The entry system described in Patent document 1 is useful as an entry system, in which the door can be opened without an operation of the entry key even when both hands of the user are unavailable. However, there can be a situation where the user, carrying goods in both hands, loses balance in his/her posture when he/she gently hits or taps the vehicle with another part of his/her body such as his/her foot. Further, there can be a situation where the user cannot give accurate and necessary strength of the gentle hits or taps. Further, there can be a situation where gentle hitting or tapping to the vehicle causes the user to smear a part of his/her body, clothing, and shoe if it rains, a ground is wet, and the vehicle is dirty. On the other hand, another method is possible in which an opening condition of a door of an entry system can be preliminarily set in a vehicle, and only in a situation where special setting has been applied, the door can be opened only on the basis of detection of approach of a user. However, considering a situation where the user approaches the vehicle from a distant place and opens the vehicle door to get into the vehicle, generally, circumstances, in which the user carrying goods in both hands, arise when the user stays away from the vehicle. Accordingly, the method, in which the opening condition of the door is preliminary set in the vehicle, is not necessarily convenient.
A need thus exists for a vehicle door opening/closing apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle door to open/close, which enables an automatically opening/closing of a vehicle door on the basis of an intention of a user without an operation of a control portion provided in a vehicle or without an operation of a control portion of a mobile apparatus for remote control each time the user intends to open/close the vehicle door. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides such a vehicle door opening/closing apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle door to open/close.